Patrick Roy has been named the coach and vice president of hockey operations of the Colorado Avalanche, the team announced Thursday."This is an unbelievable day for me," said Roy in a news release. "It's a new and exciting challenge that I am really looking forward to."Because of the holiday weekend, the team said the news conference to discuss the hire will be next week.He becomes the team's sixth head coach and will also take the role of vice president of hockey operations. Joe Sakic was named the team's executive VP of hockey operations on May 10, and Sakic will retain final say on personnel decisions."I would like to thank Stan and Josh Kroenke for this opportunity as well as Joe Sakic for the trust they are putting in me," Roy said. "Almost 10 years to the day that I announced my retirement as a player I am back in Denver and hope the fans are as excited as I am."For the past eight seasons, the 47-year-old Roy has been the head coach and general manager of the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, and has a 348-196-0 record."This is a very exciting day for our fans and a significant moment in our organization's history," Avs president Josh Kroenke said in a news release. "Patrick's passion for the game of hockey both as a player and as a coach defines who he is as a person."